


Outside Looking In

by IRegretNothingAndEverything



Series: Tommy is of the stars, Benrey of the void, Bubby of the tube, and Coomer of the enhanced. Gordon? Gordon's along for the ride. [4]
Category: Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Bubby Chews On Things He Shouldn't, Bubby is fucked up in this, Coomer Hive Mind, M/M, Mentions of Canon Amputation, Stimming, This time it's people!, Tommy and Sunkist don't make that much of an appearance, for like one time tho it's fine, he's in his tube for a reason, it's a lot softer than i expected it to be actually, slight gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25828540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IRegretNothingAndEverything/pseuds/IRegretNothingAndEverything
Summary: Coomer sits in front of Bubby's tube and watches him heal, thinking back on their past in Black Mesa together.
Relationships: Bubby/Dr. Coomer (Half-Life)
Series: Tommy is of the stars, Benrey of the void, Bubby of the tube, and Coomer of the enhanced. Gordon? Gordon's along for the ride. [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1871698
Comments: 8
Kudos: 178





	Outside Looking In

**Author's Note:**

> And Coomer is here! Jesus this was a monster to work on, but I am really happy with how it turned out! Now all I have is Benrey and Gordon.

The first time Dr. Harold P. Coomer had ever seen subject 8V88Y, he had been in his tube, snarling at anyone who got close to it, teeth glinting even in the green hue of whatever it was he was floating in. Technically speaking, Harold should not have been down here. He didn’t work in this division, but... he had gotten curious, and now he was watching the other doctors scramble around trying to calm him down. 

How could they not see how easy it would be? Harold sighed, setting down the files he had offered to take down, as a way in, and moved over towards the tube he was in. 8V88Y turned to snarl at him, but paused, not recognizing him. 'Who the fuck are you?’ Harold blinked at the sign, but found it lucky he had learned it a few years back. 

There were other doctors around, trying to get his attention, but he ignored it for now, though he knew it was a danger to his job at this point. “Harold.” 8V88Y stared at him a moment, before shifting around to glare at him, snarling. 

'And what the hell do you want?’ 

“You know, I’ve heard a rumor going around that you’re the only one of this experiments that survived this long.” Harold had been fascinated with them since the moment they came out and said what they were doing. He grinned up at 8V88Y, who looked back in surprise, eyes wide. “Which, of course means you’re the best of the bunch, right?” 

8V88Y paused, glanced around. At this point, the others had noticed how quickly 8V88Y had calmed in Harold’s presence, and was letting him do whatever it was he was doing. 8V88Y looked back towards him, realizing Harold had gotten distracted by the classification on his tube. He hummed softly, looking back up at him. 

“kinda looks like Bubby, huh?” He glanced around, and managed to get a few laughs from the various others, looking up at the newly christened Bubby. 

After a moment, Bubby beamed, sharp teeth on display, and Harold felt as if he couldn’t help but smile back. 

* * *

When he looked up at Bubby in his tube now, eyes closed peacefully, hopefully numb from his injuries. He never wanted to have to put him back into his tube, but with how badly he was hurt, Harold had no choice. 

He settled with his back against the tube, and he and Benrey fell into silence. Harold had a feeling that Benrey didn’t want to sleep either, in case something happened. Harold could work on his arm, but he really didn’t feel like moving from Bubby’s side, and he was liable to fuck it up, tired as he was. 

“Hey...” Harold shifted, turning his head to Benrey, who sang a few notes, letting the Sweet Voice light up where they were, as the glow of Bubby’s tube was dimmed while he slept. “How bad is it?” 

Harold sighed softly, glancing back at Bubby. “72% skin loss... I’m not sure on the muscle, but there’s going to be problems there, might lose some fine motor control, but, seeing as he is Bubby, he’ll be alright in the long run.” Benrey nodded slightly, looking over at Gordon and Tommy. “How are they?” 

“Gordon’s arm is healed up nice again... Tommy isn’t really hurt, just uh, exhausted.” Benrey settled carefully on Gordon’s other side, frowning slightly. He looked back to Harold. “You should get some sleep.” 

Harold laughed, nodded slightly, but kept his eyes open, watching the Sweet Voice in the air hover and dissipate, Benrey singing a few more notes to bring it back. 

“You’re... not gonna, are you?” 

He shook his head. “I don’t sleep well alone anymore.” 

* * *

Harold was there the first time Bubby stepped out of the tube. He stumbled right into Harold’s arms, and Harold couldn’t help but grin at him, eyes shining. Bubby grinned back, trying to get his feet under him properly, and Harold stood next to him, supporting him when he could. 

They took a few laps around the lab, and slowly, but surely, he got more confident, testing his range of movement, supporting his own weight. Bubby grinned up at Harold, eyes shining, and Harold grinned back. “Well. How long can he stay out?” He glanced off to the side, catching the eye of one of the head scientists of this project, who sighed softly, flicking through a few papers. 

“Another hour, but that’s pushing it.” 

“Hm... thirty minutes?” 

“Fine.” 

Bubby cheered, spinning in place and freezing, frowning at himself. “Whoa...” 

And then Harold had to explain the concept and science behind getting dizzy. 

* * *

The first time Bubby woke up, he was awake for maybe thirty seconds. He hid his left arm behind his back the entire time, just in case Bubby tried to stay awake in worry for him. Harold really couldn’t feel it, not unless he turned the processors back on, and he wasn’t about to do that. 

Still, the fact that Bubby woke up at all worked wonders for Harold’s panic. He actually managed to trust them long enough to take a shower, knowing someone would be there if he woke up. 

It was strange, though, to not have Bubby sitting on the counter rambling as he showered. It was too silent. 

It was one of the quickest showers Harold had ever taken in his life. 

* * *

When Harold got the ping to go down to Biological Research, he hadn’t expected to find Bubby, backed into a corner snarling at them, teeth shiny with blood. Harold froze, glancing around. “What happened?” 

“He bit someone, got them good. He claims he didn’t mean to hurt them, but he didn’t let go for a good moment there.” Harold frowned slightly, squinting his eyes at Bubby, who snapped at someone who tried to get closer. When he pulled back, Harold noticed he was grinding his teeth. 

“You try giving him something to chew on?” 

“Huh?” 

“Like... you gave him the sharp teeth, which I assume might come with some instincts since you didn’t Frankenstein him together, so maybe he just needs to chew on something?” Harold searched his pockets, before finding a chew necklace pendant he had kept, from Tommy passing them along when he didn’t like it. “Maybe something like this?” He held it up, and, before the other could respond, moved over to where Bubby was cornered. 

“Hey, Bubby.” His head snapped towards his voice, eyes wide, and he seemed to... relax a bit. Harold hummed, lifting the pendent. “Why not chew on this? It’ll stop you from hurting someone.” Bubby blinked, and Harold moved over, crouching in front of him fearlessly, handing the pendent over. Bubby took it carefully, looking it over, before popping it in his mouth, teeth sinking into the soft plastic. Harold could see him relax further, chewing on the pendent. 

He could also see that his teeth were already tearing through it. 

“So... I’ll get you a few more of those, and then you won’t bite people!” Harold stood, holding out his hand for Bubby to take. Bubby grinned at him, taking his hand and pulling himself up, but not letting go, his other hand on the end of the pendent as he chewed. “Though, to everyone else, I would recommend keeping your hands away from his mouth, just in case. You’re the ones who gave him sharp teeth.” 

And so Harold walked him back to his tube, Bubby calming down more as he tore through the pendent. Bubby glanced at him for a moment as he stepped back into his tube, before smiling at him. “Thanks.” His voice was quiet, and Harold grinned back at him, the first word he had ever heard in Bubby’s voice. 

* * *

When Tommy woke up, Harold went off with him to get his arm taken off. Somehow, in the time it took him to walk there, get his arm off, thank Tommy a few times, and walk back, Bubby had woken up and then, just as he walked in, he heard Benrey’s voice. 

“...Tommy had to destroy his father, on uh, like, an atom scale type deal, he was, he’s gone, and you are... asleep.” Benrey grinned up at Bubby for a moment, then glanced towards Harold. “You just missed him. He was alright, didn’t seem to be panicked or anything.” 

“Oh?” he asked softly, slightly upset he hadn’t been there when Bubby woke up again. 

“Yeah. Told him about your no looking down thing, and he uh, tried to lift his arm up. Didn’t get far. I also accidentally made him laugh and he glared at me for that one.” 

Harold laughed softly, nodding a bit. “Well, as long as he’s alright...” He murmured, and Benrey nodded, gently patting Harold’s back. 

“He’ll be fine.” 

Benrey left him staring up at Bubby, hoping that he would be right. 

* * *

Harold hadn’t been down there when Bubby was allowed to go out the first time, outside of that room, but apparently Bubby didn’t much care. 

Which is how Harold got the page that Bubby was on his way up. Just in time, as seconds later, Bubby skidded into the room, bare feet loud against the concrete of the floor, and launched himself at Harold. He laughed, grabbing onto Bubby to hold him so they both didn’t fall over, and Harold ignored the looks from the others around him, leading Bubby out of the room. 

“How in the world did you get up here?” 

“Listened to the others talking about where you worked, posed someone wanting to surprise a friend to one of the security guards, Benrey I think his name was, and just booked it!” Bubby grinned, so proud of himself, chest heaving as he worked on getting his air back after running so far. 

Harold laughed softly, nodding. “It does sound like Benrey to let you in, but not others who work in this office.” He walked with Bubby down the halls, Bubby bouncing next to him, grinning.

“So... what do you do up here?” Bubby asked, grinning, and Harold smiled back. 

* * *

“Coomer, are you alright?” Harold looked up at Gordon, who was doing his worried eyebrows at him. Harold smiled softly, nodding. 

“I’m alright. A bit worried for Bubby but... so much of our schedules were mixed that it’s hard to think of doing something without him also there. It’s been like that for so long.” Harold shrugged slightly, and Gordon nodded. 

“Well... I’ll sit in here with him, alright? But you need to go eat and take a shower.” Harold sighed softly, but stood, careful to not overbalance onto his left side, as he still hadn’t gotten that arm back. Gordon smiled at him, and Harold smiled at him. 

“Of course. How do I expect you to follow my advice when I don’t follow it myself.” Gordon nodded, patting his back slightly as he walked off. 

* * *

There was an accident in the lab. Some sort of explosion, and Harold couldn’t remember what happened. 

When he woke up, they hadn’t waited to put new legs on him. They called them Power Legs, and he had to learn how to work them. 

Bubby was the one next to his bed when he woke up, and Bubby grinned at him, holding his hand, and Harold just smiled back, hoping that his legs would stop hurting so bad. 

Each time Harold woke up in the med bay, Bubby was there. Harold wasn’t sure how he managed that one, but he wasn’t going to deny it made him feel better as he learned his new abilities with the power legs. 

* * *

Harold managed to make it back in time when Bubby woke up again, but just barely. He was in a slightly different position than last time he had seen him, and lit up when he saw Harold. 

Still, the worry when he spotted his left arm gone didn’t fly over Harold’s head, so he just explained it off. He sent Sunkist off to Tommy, having stopped by there before coming back. 

Bubby slipped off to sleep again soon after, and Harold turned his attention to his wounds. His skin was stretched thin as it regrew over muscle, the muscle barely healed itself. Harold nodded, looking over towards Gordon, who smiled. 

“He was worried about Sunkist, then told me that it wasn’t just you he went basically feral for. I think it’s the nicest thing he’s ever said to me, and all he did was half point aggressively.” 

Laughing was freeing. 

* * *

It was Bubby he went to the first time he was cloned. Bubby was the one who would understand, though not perfectly, the only one that would try. 

Everything felt double. He could see two things at once, feel two things at once, and focused on getting to Bubby on his side, and Harold stumbled into Bubby’s tube room. 

He was out, luckily, and there was only one doctor there. However, when Harold straightened up, smiling, they grinned back, letting them alone, and Harold shrunk in on himself. 

“Harold? What’s wrong?” He felt Bubby’s hands, and yet didn’t, and Harold shook his head. 

“I volunteered for a project, a cloning project, and they succeeded, but they don’t, they don’t know what they did.” Harold looked up at Bubby, but on the other side stared up at the ceiling. “I can see it all, I can feel it all, what if they keep going and I lose who I am-” 

“Here.” Bubby grabbed a sharpie from the table near by and grabbed his badge, writing a small one in the top corner of it. Harold stared down at it, trying to keep himself calm. “You’re number one. If you get lost, all you have to do is look down at that, and know you’re the original.” 

Harold cried on Bubby, clinging to him, but knowing that Bubby would always be there when everything went wrong. 

* * *

Bubby was improving on the right track, and Harold was there when he woke up in the middle of the night scared for a split second, before falling back asleep moments later. Harold had his doubts that Bubby would remember this at all, and just hoped that he wouldn’t. 

The fear of it, not knowing where you are, but knowing something is different and it’s not good, it was never something that Harold wanted Bubby to experience. 

He was awake at night for him, staying near the tube and only falling asleep when he became exhausted. It wasn’t healthy, but he didn’t want Bubby to be alone in his fear. 

Bubby hadn’t let him be alone in his. 

* * *

There were hundreds now. Harold was overwhelmed with it, but that meant there was always someone around, and each clone made an effort to be kind. The one on his badge made no difference to them, but it made all the difference to Bubby

Bubby never got them mixed up. He was wary, almost untrusting of the clones, but brightened considerably when it was him. It was Harold. Bubby was the only one who called him Harold anymore, and he was alright with that. Coomer was the names of the clones. 

The extendo-arms were a new feature, and only the original Coomer had the enhancements. That was another thing he had to focus on. This one hadn’t been an accident. He had volunteered, or rather, a clone had, and they had made a mistake on which one it was. 

Harold didn’t wake up alone. Bubby was always there, if he was awake or sleeping. He was always there, no matter what, and it helped. It helped Harold think that he was still one singular person, not six hundred eyes and three hundred hearts. Bubby only cared for him, and it made everything okay. 

* * *

Bubby waking up was more common now, so he felt more comfortable taking showers when he went to bed at night, as he was waking up less and less during the night. He still slept most of the time, but Harold knew it was a good sign. 

They did what they could in the tube, working through ranges of movement, and Bubby would grin and sign at him, so much slower at his first language than he ever had been before, but he was still using it. Bubby was alright. 

Harold had his arm back, watching Gordon and Benrey work on Sweet Voice things, and pretend they weren’t in love with one another, when Bubby woke again, from a short nap. 

He was out again rather quickly, that being normal for him, the short naps here and there with him waking up and listening to them talk until he fell asleep again. Harold knew it was safe. He was safe. 

He was calming down again, as the day he had marked off in his head came closer and closer. 

* * *

Harold took him out to see the stars one night. Bubby had never been outside Black Mesa, but Harold had managed to get it signed off for him to go up onto the roof, and up they went. 

“Where the hell are we going? I haven’t been allowed up this far.” Bubby glanced around, and Harold grinned and just kept pulling him up and up and up. 

Bubby looked up at the stars with wonder in his eyes, and leaned against Harold’s arm, eyes wide and shining, as he said “I want to go up there one day.” 

That was the moment Harold realized that he was in love. 

* * *

When that day finally came, and Bubby stumbled out of his tube and into Harold’s arms again, clinging on like his life depended on it, Harold clung back just as tightly, finally feeling whole again. 

**Author's Note:**

> I really love the idea of the Coomer Clone Hive Mind, but also the idea that Bubby just... knows which one is which, even without the one on his badge.


End file.
